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Another three members of the Leicester squad, Matt Elliott, 35, Lilian Nalis, 32, and James Scowcroft, 28, who are accused of forced entry and failing to assist the victim of a crime, were granted "provisional liberty" but ordered to report to the Spanish consulate in London twice a month.

Scowcroft was ordered to pay 20,000 Euros (£13,443) bail before he was allowed to leave.

Nikos Dabizas and Danny Coyne were "provisionally released" following a hearing on Thursday and a ninth player, Steffen Freund, was released without charge.

The players, who have all protested their innocence, are alleged to have broken into a hotel room and assaulted three women who are understood to be African-born. It is claimed the attack left the women with a number of injuries.

It was unclear last night how long the three players in custody would be held or when a trial might take place. The footballers were taken to court in police cars, entering the building with their heads and shoulders covered. The press and even the British vice consul were excluded from the closed hearing.

The three women, who made the allegations, were brought in one at a time, covered with blankets to hide their identities. One had a pronounced limp.

Full nationality details of the women was unclear last night. Spanish media reports said they held German residence papers and a local television station said one of them had a diplomatic passport. The case was adjourned until Monday. Paul Mace, Leicester City's chief operating officer, said the club was doing its utmost to ensure the men's return to Britain as soon as possible.

He promised a full internal investigation into events at La Manga, during which "no stone would be left unturned."

He said: "We welcome the news that formal charges against three of the players - Steffen Freund, Nikos Dabizas and Danny Coyne - were dropped on Thursday evening.

"We have spoken to all of our other players in Spain and they will vigorously contest all charges and accusations being made against them.

"All six have stressed their innocence to all of the charges."

"The players are resolute that they have done nothing wrong in terms of the criminal allegations."

The six players involved in the alleged incident are experienced professionals and, with the exception of Gillespie, who is divorced, are married with children.

Several Leicester City players returned to Britain last night, including Elliott, Nalis and Scowcroft. They were ushered out of a side door at Luton Airport into a waiting minibus

Sinclair, Dickov and Gillespie will spend the weekend in the austere and overcrowded prison at Sangonera La Verde where three inmates frequently share a cell designed for two. Like all new arrivals they were put on suicide watch and were expected to be housed in a special section for sexual offenders, according to sources at the court in Cartagena.

The prison was built 12 years ago to house 350. Its current population is twice that.

The cells measure 12ft by 6ft. "When one person stands up the other two must sit down," said Ricardo Fernandez, a journalist who visits the jail. "In summer the prison is intolerably hot.".

The incident has further mired the reputation of English football in sleaze and scandal.

Many of the struggling club's own fans reacted angrily to events in La Manga, voicing their disgust on a website. One wrote: "Thanks guys for getting us relegated without kicking a ball."